Friday night will be game one of a three game series between the Washington Nationals and the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.

The Nationals were able to take two out of three from the Pirates earlier in the season and will send Gio Ganzalez to the mound to against Jameson Taillon of Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Jameson Taillon will take the mound Friday looking for his second win in a row.

He wasn’t exactly at his best during his last outing, but it was enough to get Pittsburgh past the Reds and his fourth win of the season.

Taillon has made it more than obvious that he has a bright future ahead of him in the big leagues.

Throughout his 93 innings of work, the kid has a 3.39 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. His 4-4 records says more about the lack of run support he has received than it does about his pitching.

This will be his first trip to the mound against the Washington Nationals.

Pittsburgh’s offense has been solid and improving as of late, averaging 4.58 runs per game. They are batting .259 as a team and have won 7 of their last ten games.

While it would take something miraculous for them to make the postseason, they are currently a .500 team and can still finish the year on a positive note.

Washington Nationals

Gio Gonzalez will be making his 31st start of the season Friday as he looks to recuperate after being torn apart by the Atlanta Braves his last trip out to the mound.

He gave up 6 runs in only 4.1 innings and picked up his 10th loss of the season.

Throughout 168.2 innings, Gonzalez has a ERA of 4.48 and a 1.40 WHIP. This will be his first time on the hill against the Pirates this season, but he has a record 7-4 and an ERA of 2.81 in his career against Pittsburgh.

The bats have gotten a little heavy for the Nations as a team as of late. They are averaging 4.69 runs a game as a team with a batting average of .255. Pitching has still been the strength of Washington.

They currently have a 3.43 team ERA which is currently second in the Majors.

MLB Baseball Betting Trends:

The Pirates are 9-1 in their last 10 games against a left handed starter.

Pittsburgh is 6-1 in their last 7 games.

Washington is 1-4 throughout their last 5 home games.

The Nationals are 1-5 in the last 6 starts on the road for Gonzalez.

Free Washington Nationals vs. Pittsburgh Pirates MLB Prediction:

If Gonzalez has been anything this season, he’s inconsistent. He has given up a total of 14 runs over his last three starts on the mound, something the Nationals can’t afford against a team like the Pirates.

4* Free MLB Betting Pick: Washington ML and game total over 8.5

While things might not be in Washington’s favor, I think if they can get a decent start out of Gonzalez, the bullpen will be able to keep the Pittsburgh bats in check the rest of the game. This series will be a good opportunity for the Nationals to get things going again at the plate. The Pirates will jump out on top early, but Washington will find a rhythm in the later innings of the game.

MLB Free Score Prediction: Washington 8-6 Pittsburgh

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About Otis

New to Cappers Picks but not new to delivering reliable predictions on the outcome of a game. Otis makes his living as a sports writer covering several teams in the NFL, MLB, as well as Notre Dame football. He's spent his Sundays tuned into the Bears game since 1989 and has been waiting on next season as a Cubs fan since the Sandberg and Dawson days. Faithful to Chicago teams as a fan, experience has taught him that just because you like a team doesn’t qualify them as a guaranteed winner.